Jesper Olsen, Michael Laudrup and Preben Elkjær (Denmark)

“Although they [Denmark] had the Total Football hallmarks—spatial awareness, ceaseless movement, and imagination of passing—they were like a fast-forwarded version of that Holland side. No team has ever had such a collection of jet-heeled dribblers.”

This is where the dynamite came in—they were so vibrant going forward, and this was facilitated by Jesper Olsen’s trickery, Michael Laudrup’s playmaking ability, and Preben Elkjær’s eye for goal.

The 1986 FIFA World Cup Danish side also had Morten Olsen cleaning up, Søren Lerby in midfield, and Jan Mølby (of Liverpool fame) off the bench.

"We go back years and years. We first met in 1954. He was 19, and I was 17. He was in the RAF, and I was in the steelworks. But he was a terrific goalscorer, one of the best. When we first started at Middlesbrough we just seemed to start well and we went from there. From one season to another we just got better and better."

Clough would end up eclipsing his prolific goalscoring feats with his managerial prowess.

"We had a special connection, which always seemed to work. He was always facing the goal, while I used to find the best way to get the ball to him. The depth of understanding we had was very impressive."

“I thought Stan was a terrific player, incredibly talented, and when we arrived at Anfield I thought we were a fantastic partnership. We weren't best mates, but we got on fine together—no matter what he says. In fact, I think he could have been a world beater, and it's a shame his career ended like it did.”

Collymore’s Liverpool career was cut short when a prodigious fresh-faced Michael Owen emerged coupled with Aston Villa throwing money at then-owner David Moores.

Enrico Chiesa and Hernán Crespo (Parma)

This partnership should have been confined to the annals of history…if only Zdeněk Zeman had been managing this team. Instead, only Parma supporters remember such a great partnership.

Zeman would have kept Gianfranco Zola, signed Roberto Baggio and somehow fitted both of them into the starting line-up.

Carlo Ancelotti was in his sophomore season as a top flight manager and managed: Gianluigi Buffon, Lilian Thuram, Fabio Cannavaro, Néstor Sensini, Dino Baggio, Enrico Chiesa and Hernán Crespo.

Yes, all these players in the same team.

In retrospect, Ancelotti’s results with this ridiculously talented Parma side was a failure.

Not only did the Italian force Zola off to London, but he balked at the option of signing Roberto Baggio, who went on to score 22 goals in 33 games that season for Bologna.

14 years later, Ancelotti gave an account of the Roberto Baggio situation:

"Baggio wanted to leave Milan because he wasn't playing, and he came to speak to me. So I asked him where he wanted to play, and he said behind the two strikers. I told him we didn't play that shape and told him he would have to compete with Crespo and Chiesa for one of the two striker places. I didn't want someone in the hole. So he said no and joined Bologna. If the same thing happened now, 14 years later, I would buy him. But that was a lack of experience. I had been a coach just two years, and maybe I was a little bit scared to change because it was the start of my career."

Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba (Chelsea)

Notes: Three-time Premier League champions, three-time Carling Cup champions, and three-time FA Cup champions. Didier Drogba was a two-time Premier League Golden Boot recipient. Frank Lampard was voted the second best player in 2005.

Frank Lampard is such an underrated passer. It seems people always seem to blink when he splits a defence open with a pass. A month ago, some Chelsea fans wanted Lampard axed, stating he didn't create enough chances, even though he was leading the league in chances created.

There is much more to Lampard's game than making great runs into the box and getting himself into positions to score goals.

Raymond Kopa and Just Fontaine (Stade Reims and France)

"Fontaine, a clinical finisher, was to provide the perfect foil for the more famous Kopa, blessed with immaculate close control and capable of splitting the meanest of defences with his pinpoint passing."

Just Fontaine scored 13 goals, yes, 13 goals, in his one and only FIFA World Cup tournament.

Two broken legs debilitated Fontaine's career and forced him to retire at the age of 28.

Kopa would later play with Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás, and Francisco Gento at Real Madrid.

Edin Džeko and Grafite (Wolfsburg)

If only Grafite was several years younger because if he was, he’d be at a top flight club right now instead of collecting his pensioner’s check with Al Ahli Dubai. Mind you, the Brazilian is only 31 years old.

Džeko, on the other hand, was so complete as a forward, so smart, so technical, and a great finisher.

It was an excellent decision for Manchester City to purchase the Bosnian because he will transition into a world-class forward.

Talking about Bosnians, there was a lazy genius in Zvjezdan Misimović, who orchestrated the attack for Wolfsburg.

Like Yasuhito Endō, Misimović is one of the best passers in world football, yet hardly anyone knows who he is.

Ludovic Giuly, Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona)

This was a Ronaldinho pulling off tricks you'd see on FIFA video games. Think of the nightmares defenders would have dealing with Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho, then you had the much-underrated hardworking Ludovic Giuly running down on the flanks.

It was a three-pronged attack strong enough to win the UEFA Champions League.

"Toshack was a wonderful player to play alongside. His aerial ability was fantastic, and I always knew that he was going to win the high balls. From then on it was just a question of me reading which way the ball was going to go and from those situations we created many chances. I always admired Tosh's honesty as a player. He was a nice, approachable lad and he did a really great job for the club during his time here."

"A particularly complementary forward pairing, they could practically find each other blindfold on the field. Their achievement against Juventus in Rome still ranks as one of the greatest goals in Intercontinental Cup history."

"We were totally different people. Dwight was, 'Look at me, I play for United, I've got a nice bird and car'. I'm the opposite. I bought a Porsche one year but was so self-conscious that I couldn't drive it. It took me two months to drive it to training. Yorkey had no such worries.

One game stands out against Champions League favourites Barcelona away in 1998-99. We were behind after one minute. Yorkey equalised after 25 minutes after I combined with him. I then put us ahead, and ran to the corner to celebrate with a group of United fans sitting in the home end. Rivaldo levelled for Barca, before Yorkey struck again: 3-3. After that, the biggest clubs in Europe were saying: stop Cole and Yorke and we stop Man United.

He was one of the fittest footballers I played with and his ability was up there with the best of them. Sometimes he relaxed too much, like when he fell asleep in the middle of the pitch during a training session before a pre-season tour game in Australia. After the treble, though, I felt that he eased off. I told him and so did Roy Keane. If he had put his nut down and worked, Dwight could have become a United legend."

Like Eusébio, Mário Coluna was of Mozambican ethnicity, so they identified with each other. Coluna controlled play in midfield like a general, whereas José Augusto Torres was the big man who aimed at garnering a defender's attention on him instead of the deadly Eusébio.

Falcão, Zico and Sócrates (Brazil)

Notes: All three were voted into the 1982 FIFA World Cup All-Star squad.

The most talented side in the 1982 FIFA World Cup by a landslide, yet like the Mighty Magyars in 1954 and the Dutch Total Football in 1974, Telê Santana's brilliant side failed to bring home the trophy.